Apparatus for cracking oil



G. EGLOFF ET AL APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL June 9, 1925.

' Filed Feb. 10, 1921 .5 7 6 7 6 (2602mm 2 comaczo 3 QIOQEOQDQIO Gustav 7727/17 Ben/7e!- Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,540,934 PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV EGLOFF AND HARRY P. BENNER, OF INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS, ASSIGNORS TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL.

Application filed February 10, 1921. Serial No. 443,747.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that we, GosTAv EGLOFF and HARRY P. BENNER, both citizens of the United States, residing in the town of Independence, county of Montgomery,,and State of Kansas, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cracking Oil, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cracking oil and refersmore particularly to a method in which the oil is cracked by means of heat and pressure by being heated in heating tubes, then passed to an expansion chamber where vaporization takes place.

The present invention is more particularly directed to the manner of handling vapors so as to cause a gradual expansion of the vapors. This is particularly desirable in the conversion of heavy fuel oils, by cracking, into gasoline and kerosene.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, of our improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the furnace construction showing the heating tubes and expansion chamber.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 designates a furnace, in the combustion chamber 2 of which is mounted the heating coil 3, which may take theform of a continuous length of 3" pipe. Oil is supplied to the coil through the feed line 4 connected to charging pump 5. Oil is delivered, preferably in liquid phase, from the top of the coil through transfer line 6, to the expansion chamber designated as a whole 7. This expansion chamber also takes the form of a coil, which is composed of a plurality of in terconnected tubes 8, 9 and 10 and 11 respectively. These tubes are gradually increased in size, as for example, the tube 8 may be 8" in internal diameter, the tube 9 may be 10"; the tube 10 may be 20" and the tube 11, may be 30". As the oil, preferably in liquid phase, enters the expansion chamber, it will be seen that it will be allowed to gradually expand as vaporization takes place through the tubes of successively increasing size, thus producing a more smooth vaporization than would otherwise be the case.

The vapors pass out of the tubes through the vapor pipe 12 connected to the upper side of the tube 11. This vapor pipe 12 projects into the lower end of a vertical dephlegmator 13 and is provided with a spaced cap member 1 1 to prevent the oil from falling back into the vapor chamber. The dephlegmator is also provided with the alternately disposed bafiies 15, reflux eondensate return pipe 16, leading back to the Vapor pressure may be maintained on all or part of the system. The liquid residue is drawn off through the pipe 11 throughthe drawoif line 27.

The process may be operated as follows: 2800 gallons of an Eldorado fuel oil of 26 degrees Baum gravity, is fed per hour through the apparatus and heated to a temperature in the heating coil, of 890 degrees F., and the entire system maintained under a vapor pressure of 150 pounds to the square inch. of the charging stock may be converted-into pressure distillate of 50 degrees Baum gravity, containing 32); on the basis of raw oil treated, of 57 Bauine gravity gasoline.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an apparatus for cracking oil, the combination with a furnace, of a plurality of heating tubes for heating the oil .to a cracking temperature, expansion means communicating with the heating tubes comprising a plurality of connnunicnting tubes of gradually increasing diameter and means for taking off vapors and separate means for taking off residue from the expansion zone.

2. In an apparatus for cracking petroleum' 'oil, the combination with a heating coil, means for transferring the oil to expansion means gradually increasing in diameter from its inlet to its outlet end, and means for removing vapors and separate means for removing residuum from the outlet end of said expansion means.

GUSTAV EGLOFF. HARRY P. BENNER. 

